Jurgen Klopp and Brendan Rodgers are among the Premier League bosses to praise Burnley shot-stopper Nick Pope ahead of a proposed move to St. James' Park. The Magpies are closing in on an £8-10 million move for the England international, with the 30-year-old eyeing a spot in Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad this winter.
Southgate has already made his stance on goalkeepers clear a fter Sam Johnstone was excluded in favour of Pope earlier this year. However, with the two goalkeepers going in opposite directions after Johnstone's move to Crystal Palace, pressure is mounting on Pope to force a move back to the Premier League.
On his day, Pope is unquestionably one of the best shot stoppers in the Premier League, but Burnley's struggles in front of goal meant the Clarets would drop down to the second tier of English football. The Three Lions keeper has made the headlines on a number of occasions for his stellar performances during his time at Turf Moor.
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One of those that springs to mind, is his performance away at Anfield back in July 2020 as Premier League football restarted after the Covid-19 pandemic. Pope denied Liverpool their 25th consecutive win on home soil with Jay Rodriguez cancelling out Andy Robertson's first-half opener.
The Reds boss spoke with the Clarets keeper at full-time sharing some words after Liverpool registered 23 attempt, with Pope making eight saves to ensure a share of the spoils. Klopp told Sky Sports : "It was a good performance in most parts of the game," Klopp said. "There were moments when it was Liverpool against Nick Pope. It's hard to create against a team so organised but we created super chances.
"There was always one guy who wanted to deny us and it was Nick Pope. The game left the result open for Burnley. There were corners where Ali (Alisson) was under pressure from those around him and they were always a threat from set-pieces.
"I'm fine for the performance for 80 minutes and it was probably one of our best games against Burnley, but we couldn't get a second and that's why we've been left with a point."
Klopp wasn't alone in his admiration for Pope. Last season Leicester City boss Rodgers heaped praise on the Clarets stopper after producing four outstanding saves in the Foxes' 2-0 win at Turf Moor.
"He’s a top class goalkeeper," Rodgers said after the game. “I thought we started the game very well, we moved the ball how we wanted to, getting into some good areas. Pope makes a great save from Barnes early on. The keeper makes three very good saves, but we end up getting two very, very good goals.”
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